Just over two weeks ago, we sent 220 of our best athletes to Sochi, Russia to represent us on the world stage. Today, those athletes begin the long trip home after again doing us proud with 25 total medals, good enough for 4th overall in the standings! Of course we all like to see our own succeed at each Olympics, but honestly for Canadians it’s less about showing the world how good we are at sport (and make no mistake, we are good) and more about showing our ‘Canadian way.’ Canadians will look back on these games in 10 to 15 years, forgetting how many total medals we won but with detailed memories of how our athletes did things the ‘Canadian way.’
The image of two sisters standing together on the podium awaiting the presentation of their gold and silver medals is almost the stuff of a fictional story book but it was real life for the Dufour-Lapointe sisters of Montreal. What makes it even more amazing is the fact that Justine and Chloe’s other sister Maxime was also in the event! Of course the winning siblings were to put the spotlight on older sister Maxime who inspired them to start in the first place. All three sat side by side at the post medal presentation media session and despite only two winning medals, they all are winners back home for exemplifying the ‘Canadian way.’
The sisters didn’t give us the only great Canadian sibling story at these Olympics! Many remember the story of Frederic Bilodeau from 2010 in Vancouver! Frederic was not an athlete at the Olympics but is the older brother of now repeat Gold medalist Alex Bilodeau. Frederic was diagnosed with Cerebral palsy at a young age and was told he would be unable to walk by age 12. Alex made it known in 2010 that Frederic was his inspiration and repeated those sentiments in Sochi, saying that it is Frederic who helps him through the ups and downs. Four years after an unforgettable embrace between the brothers in 2010, the brothers gave Canadians the goose bumps again with another one seen all over social media in 2014. Each brother seeing the other as a hero defines the ‘Canadian way’ as does the fact that at age 28, Frederic is still able to walk!
Should we be surprised that Frederic wasn’t the only non-athlete Canadian hero in Sochi? Probably not! Perhaps the name Justin Wadsworth doesn’t ring a bell but when someone mentions a Canadian Cross-Country skiing coach who ran on the course to help a skier fix a broken ski, people know what you’re talking about. It wasn’t even a Canadian skier who Justin helped, it was a Russian skier! Why did he do it? “I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line,” said Wadsworth. That’s the ‘Canadian way.’
How far can you go for a teammate? My guess is you can’t go much further than offering up YOUR chance to compete for a medal at the Olympics! That’s exactly what Gilmore Junio did for his teammate Denny Morrison. Junio had earned his place in the 1000m speed skating final but gave it up to Morrison (who had fallen during qualifiers and missed out on a spot in the race) because he felt Morrison had the better chance of winning Canada a medal. When you step back and think of the kind of person it takes to do something like that you can’t help but to shake your head! It’s mind blowing! After all the sacrifices he had made over the years to get himself in that spot, he made the greater sacrifice for his country and gave Morrison his spot! Wouldn’t you know, Morrison won silver in the race and Junio became known worldwide for a heart of gold!
Over the course of the Olympics, some of our athletes fell short of their own personal expectations. Many of them responded to this by apologizing to the people of their country! The apology that stands out most is perhaps the one of Patrick Chan after he won a SILVER medal in figure skating! Obviously he thought he could have won gold; no doubt he could, but he was a winner in the hearts of everyone at home no matter the result! Just as it’s the ‘Canadian way’ for an athlete to have high expectations of themselves, it’s the ‘Canadian way’ to see that doing your best is the only expectation that matters!
There may be just one exception to the above sentence and everyone knows what the exception is. Hockey is our game and it may not be right, but giving our best is not enough. If we go to a best on best hockey tournament and come home as anything but winners, we have a national emergency on our hands! As if the competition itself wasn’t difficult enough, they have to play with an incredible amount of weight on their shoulders. The men’s team could not have represented themselves better despite many challenges along the way. PK Subban, Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith were all good enough to play in every game but everyone couldn’t and they were the guys who were to watch from the sidelines. For superstar NHL’ers, this could be a problem but these three men accepted their roles and were the best teammates they could be. With media and fans breathing down their neck; Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews kept playing their game knowing that it would pay off in the end, it did. Chris Kunitz, who many (including myself) felt didn’t belong on the team, stuck it out, got better towards the end and scored the game’s final goal! Then there’s Coach Babcock who faced question after question about line-ups, scratches and other decisions but never once strayed from what he believed was a gold medal winning plan. The boys represented the country so well in so many ways and there are too many examples to list. In short, Captain Crosby’s greatest example of leadership may have come during today’s celebration with teammates when he was asked if he would step aside for a photo of just himself. Crosby politely declined and said it wasn’t just about him, it was about the team. Some love him, some hate him but he lives the ‘Canadian way.’
Last but not least, we had the women’s hockey team facing similar pressure. Everyone knew that it would come down to Canada vs. the USA for the gold but perhaps few knew the adversity the ladies had gone through to get there. The Americans had gotten the better of them multiple times leading up to the games, they had a coaching change just two months before the Olympics and a new captain was also named. Having gone through all that, it was only fitting that they would face a 2-0 deficit late in the gold medal game, only to tie things up and force overtime. In overtime, the golden goal was scored by Marie-Phillip Poulin and they had officially overcome all adversity. What I’ll remember most about the finish is the reaction of both Poulin and Coach Kevin Dineen. Poulin will never score a bigger goal in her life but you would never say it based on the goal celebration. While you could see the pure emotion in her actions; as Grapes would say, she acted like she scored before. Likewise, on the bench Dineen didn’t even raise his arms in the air; he showed obvious relief and turned to shake hands with his assistants. These are further examples of the ‘Canadian way.’
In conclusion, I could probably write a book on the moments that made us proud in Sochi but I’ll have hard enough time getting people to read these two pages. We remember while in school and playing on a team, in a band, group, etc. attending another school, our teachers would always say be on your best behavior because you are representing your entire school. Our 220 athletes went to Sochi under that same notion and from coast to coast (yes, CBC that extends to Newfoundland) we may have different moments that stand out but the one consistency is knowing we couldn’t have been represented any better. I’ll wake up tomorrow with a smile on my face, not because ‘We are winter’ but because ‘We are Canadian’ and live the ‘Canadian way.’
@poleary19
O'Leary's Outlook 